WJ: I have spent many weeks in Tucson and Phoenix. Some of the time we were racing with NHRA but the majority of the time it was business.

Regarding the cathedral, I did notice that the building was identical on both sides with the exception of one of the towers was not capped like the other one???

Your food choices were outstanding as usual and the pics were equal. I do not know what Roadfood would do without you BB and TTM. Several others have started contributing and they are doing a great job but they have a long way to catch up. The Mayor use to do outstanding travelogues and still does wshen he travels but like me, we do not travel near as much as we use to.

ROZ and I will be traveling to Charlotte next week to the NASCAR hall of fame and then on to Myrtle beach for some sun, seafood, BBQ and of course shopping for Dr. Roz.

Thanks again for your contributions.

The tamales were the one thing that I really miss about the southwest.

Now into my third day, there's been know talk of Saguaros and Desert delights, well that's all going to change today.

Lots of nature stuff to do today.

Not without starting the day right at Theresa's Mosaic Cafe.

I didn't realize how close this place was to my hotel- just a mile and a half away. I could have walked, well with all the walking I'm going to do today, it's best that I save my feet for more scenic adventures.

Arriving shortly after they opened it appears I was their first customer.

Buffetbuster told me that the huevos rancheros was some of the best he's had.

accompanied by their delicious salsa

I can't say if it's best huevos rancheros I've had but its pretty high up there.

I washed everything down with a refreshing horchata

which was thankfully much less sweet than the one I had the evening before.

After breakfast, I headed across town to Crave Coffee Bar for a couple of incredible cups of joe, probably the best of the trip.

On to my first adventure

A beautiful trail with unbelievably scenic desert flora and fauna and of course those Saguaro Cacti The trail is driven, however there are pull offs where you can walk/hike or whatever..

I spent the whole morning here.

I made sure I had at least a couple of large bottles of water with me.

All of this walking around the desert made me hungry and it was time for lunch.

and they had the welcome mat out for me

Taqueria Pico De Gallo

Each table has a squeeze bottle of their hot sauce

And had probably some of the best carne asada tacos I've ever had

although the tacos were truly a highlight of the trip, unfortunately there was also a slight disappointment. They were out of the Coctel de elote (corn cocktail) which I was so looking forward to try. I asked if they would have it later in the day, unfortunately I was told they wouldn't have it until the next day. Unfortunately I would be heading back to Phoenix. The first real disappointment of the trip.

However I did finish my meal with their namesake.

a refreshing pico de gallo - loaded with fruit loaded with lemon juice and tantalizing spices.

After lunch, more nature was on the way.

This time at

Sabino Canyon.

A beautiful canyon nestled in the mountains. A shuttle takes you on a 4 mile ride with 8 or 9 stops. You can get off at each stop, walk, hike for as long as you like and then wait for the next shuttle. The guide warned us however to watch out for rattlesnakes and mountain lions. That didn't stop me from getting off and doing a little rock climbing.

Heading back to the visitors centers afterwards, there were a couple of cool short trails.

I opted to take one of the shorter ones

before leaving the shuttle bus, the guide pointed something out that was very unique about one of the Saguaros and it's very very rare that something like this happens

can anyone tell me which Saguaro is unique, why it's unique and how did it happen?

After leaving Sabino Canyon, since the thermometer reached 100 degrees, I headed back to downtown Tucson for a refreshing brew at Barrio Brewing.

I was looking forward to my dinner stop.

Mariscos Chihuahua

known for their Mexican Seafood dishes, I perused the menu on the internet prior to arriving but was torn as to what to order. My first gut decision was to order one of the fried fish dishes however the waitress recommended their shrimp dish and said their mild green sauce was very good.

I went with the waitress' recommendation and ordered the Shrimp Culichi. The creamy green sauce was good but probably a little to pedestrian. It came with fries which were forgettable as well as rice and salad (double starches!) I would return if I ever came back to Tucson but would probably go with one of their fish dishes and a more adventurous sauce.

After dinner, I was exhausted, it was back to the hotel for me for the evening..

The cheese tostada from Mi Nidito looks fantastic! I looked up the menu on its website and see that there are several versions...was yours the green chile one? I think I see little pieces of something hiding under the cheese.

Brad,

We had the green chile version and that isn't it. That version has several thin cuts of chile radiating like spokes from the center. Fabulous!

WJ, Your Desert Pictures Really captured the true essence of the Sonoran Desert and dispelled some myths. Yes, the desert has greenery and is not all brown. Yes, flowers do bloom in the desert and yes, the desert is hilly and rocky and not just flat. Beautiful Job!

I hope you had a chance to visit the Tucson desert zoo which is highly rated and overlooks the lush Sonoran valley desert. The landscaping is all native as well as all the animals there. Outstanding.

The saguaro as I recall usually has only a couple of arms. I have no idea how that occurred unless somehow it was damaged and grew additional arms. As i recall, the cactus takes many years to grow additional arms. I have seen some of them that appeared to be 40 feet tall.

Sorta funny that Tucson which is hot but not as hot as Phoenix and it is further south. Maybe because of the elevation.

Foodbme I actually think the Arizona desert is prettier than New Mexico's which is mostly sagebrush and Yucca

Paul I almost forgot to mention, you were correct about the mission's tower not being capped- believe it or not this was done for tax purposes - since it was deemed "an unfinished building" there were no tax levies.

You are also correct about the Saguaro and it's "multi armed" status- apparently no one knows the exact cause- it could have been a virus, genetic or a lightening strike among other reasons.

Unfortunately Sunday would be my last day in Tucson so I didn't have time to make it to the zoo.

Buffetbuster And I thought you'd be upset because I didn't have any pie or dessert.

On my last visit, I discovered (or realized) the saguaro cactus is a tree when seeing a a dead saguaro on the ground at the National park near Tucson. I loved the food in tucson and think a road food tour there and in Phoenix would be a great idea. Great report, WJ. Looking forward to more.

mr chipsOn my last visit, I discovered (or realized) the saguaro cactus is a tree when seeing a a dead saguaro on the ground at the National park near Tucson. I loved the food in tucson and think a road food tour there and in Phoenix would be a great idea. Great report, WJ. Looking forward to more.

mr chips On my last visit, I discovered (or realized) the saguaro cactus is a tree when seeing a a dead saguaro on the ground at the National park near Tucson. I loved the food in tucson and think a road food tour there and in Phoenix would be a great idea. Great report, WJ. Looking forward to more.

The desert is absolutely beautiful. There were ATV tours to see the desert at night unfortunately it was just a little out of my price range.

Mr Chips

Thanks, I wish I had more time to explore the desert but temps were averaging 15 + degrees above normal, something I wasn't anticipating prior to starting the trip.

JRPfeff

Glad you enjoyed The Fry Bread House as much as I did. Since it was my first stop on the trip, it truly was a symbolic welcome to the desert southwest.

Although the trip itself is not even half way over, I will conclude this trip report tomorrow evening. I'll begin a new trip report for the second half of the trip (different state) sometime in the middle of the week.

Sundancer7Sorta funny that Tucson which is hot but not as hot as Phoenix and it is further south. Maybe because of the elevation. Paul E. Smith Knoxville, TN

Tucson is about 2600 ft Elevation, Phoenix 1100 ft. It's usually a little cooler down there, but not much. Mt Lemmon, outside Tucson, goes up to 9150 ft and there's a Space Observatory and Ski Area up there along with panoramic views.

Starting out the day at the Tucson location of the Phoenix mini- chain Cartel Coffee lab- made me realize something. Coffee snobbery may exist. Cartel Coffee is one of those new third wave coffee houses (aka pour over) that I wish would just "go away" Cartel coffee goes a step almost ridiculing you for putting any type of cream, milk of sweetener in their coffee. Those of you (I'm assuming the majority of you) that are satisfied with their maxwell house and Mr. Coffee and don't get my going "ga ga" for coffee houses (probably the same way I don't get your going "ga ga" over bacon) probably understand where I'm coming from .

Anyway, enough ranting, yes the coffee was outstanding at at $3 per 16 oz cup and $3 for each refill it should be!

I made the 90 minute jaunt back to Phoenix and actually had another decent cuppa coffee at Copper Star Coffee a few miles north of Downtown.

After taking care of some personal business it was time for lunch

Carolina's Mexican Kitchen

A cement square of a structure that has even less atmosphere inside than it does outside. But what it lacks in atmosphere it makes up for in what it delivers.

Carolina's Mexican Kitchen means alot to me from a Roadfood perspective . Some of you may remember that when I first started taking digital photos on my trip reports, 6 years ago, Carolina's was the first place I started doing so.

And like 6 years ago, I ordered the same thing.

Their fantastic loaded Chimichanga. For those who don't know, the Chimichanga was invented in Arizona, actually it was invented in Tucson at El Charro back in the 1920's. Well, I couldn't tell you about the one one there, but the Chimichanga at Carolina's offered a hot crunchy exterior and a very flavorful and not overly spicy interior.

It went well with a respectable horchata (free refills too)

After lunch, I had another stop to make. My plans were to hit the Tamale Store out on Cave Creek Road in Phoenix and compare their green corn tamales to the ones I enjoyed in Tucson. I made a call in advance when I first arrived on Friday and the lady I spoke to assured me they would have some green corn tamales when I visited on Monday afternoon. Well when I got their, they were closed, no explanation. I called and the recording confirmed their hours. What a bummer- Travelin Manned- for the first and last time on this trip.

The rest of the day was wide open, my initial plans were to do some more outdoor sightseeing but with temps expected to soar past 100 degrees I had enough of the desert heat Before starting this trip, I had no idea the temps courtesy of good ol' global warming were going to average 15-20 degrees above average.

I opted instead to head to Old Town Tempe first. Home to ASU, Old Town Tempe caters to college students

In fact

I stopped here at Sparky's Old Town Creamery where they were passing out samples.

I went for something very unique- The Raspberry Dark Chocolate Habanero - a free topping was included- I added peanuts to this interesting combination, they warned me this would be spicy, and although the ice cream itself did not wow me- yes, it definitely had a kick- enough to make my eyes water- unfortunately I forgot to get a photo.

I continued on people watching and noticed these interesting signs right next door to eachother

Thinking like a student, I figured I would begin here.

And immediately afterwards go here, right next door

Makes sense?

Afterwards I drove to one of my favorite brew pubs- Four Peaks in Tempe- and ordered the best beer on the trip, the Kilt Lifter- a refreshing Scottish Ale- one of my favorite beers in the country.

After enjoying my beer, I continued on to Old Town Scottsdale where I was greeted by this cowboy

Old town had some pretty cool shops-

and some great scenery as well.

I tried to ask these folks for help in finding a good western wear shop but they weren't much help- all they did was just sit there.

After checking into The Scottsdale Cottonwood Resorts (a steal for $50 on priceline) I was ready to head back to the Barrio in inner city Phoenix for some more eats.

Since I was green corn tamale deprived from earlier in the afternoon, I decided to head to the place where I would have had breakfast (if I decided to) two days earlier prior to heading to Tucson.

La Tolteca

A bakery, market and restaurant all rolled up into one- Receiving accolades on both Yelp and Urbanspoon, when, I walked in I could see why.

I approached the counter, checking their website before arriving, they had exactly what I was looking for. I gave my order, and when it arrived I sat down in the dining room

I ordered two Green Corn Tamales (I had to save room for dinner which was immediately afterwards)

If I knew how big they were going to be, I would have ordered one- they were hum-on-gous and incredibly good. I'm not sure if they were better that that at the Tucson Tamale Company but they were at least just as good. If I have the opportunity to ever return to Phoenix again, I would certainly return and try their other items as well. Truly a fantastic find.

Immediately after my snack, I made my final stop for the evening.

Rosita's Place

Like La Tolteca, there were nothing but glowing reviews on yelp and urbanspoon. So I was set on Rosita's. Once again, I had the opportunity to share a meal with foodbme who was there when I arrived. Fresh and hot chips arrived at the table- and when I mean hot and fresh- I don't think they could have been any fresher- I declare the chips at Rosita's Place the best of the trip.

And the red and green couldn't have been any better- in fact the red really had kick to it.

I ordered the Machaca plate

I never had Machaca before. It was tender and juicy and served with flour tortillas on the side.

I heard great things about Rosita's horchata on the web.

Not only was it the largest glass of Horchata on the trip, I also declare it the best- not too sweet but packed with "cinnamony" flavor.

Rosita's place was another great find, and I would certainly return again.

It was a pleasure dining with foodbme once again. He is a great ambassador to his adopted city.

Afterwards I headed back to my hotel in Scottsdale as I had an early day to look forward to.

Tuesday April 24

Flying out of Phoenix this morning, I really wanted to head back to Copper Star for coffee but decided to get coffee in Scottsdale since I didn't know what traffic would be like heading back to the Airport. I unknowingly ended up at another "pour over" coffee house called Echo- voted best in Scottsdale for obvious reasons- good, yes, expensive yes. I asked the barista why pourover coffee was so popular in Arizona, she didn't know, she assumed it was popular everywhere. Well as it turns out there was very little traffic heading back to the Airport.

I arrived and departed Phoenix for new adventures.

This is the end of this trip report, however the trip continues with a new trip report beginning sometime in the middle of the week.

ScreamingChickenWow...this could've been an even greater report if WJ had done a better job of focusing on regionally appropriate food. That plate of machaca and beans looks mighty tasty!

The problem is that there aren't very many Mexican Restaurants in Phoenix & Tucson!!!!In Phoenix: Urbanspoon says there are only 924 of them!www.azcentral.com only lists 677 of them but they exclude chains like Taco Bell and Del Taco. In Tucson: Urbanspoon says there's only 296 of them! Probably doesn't include the street carts.

WJ, Great report, thanks for all the great food and scenic pictures. Question on the The Green corn Tamale ???????/ is that a Green Chili layered in the tamale........I'll be in Phoenix/Scottsdale this coming winter, thanks for all the great tips.............pnwc